Donald Trump Says His Convention Speech Was ‘Very Optimistic’

Donald Trump accepting the Republican nomination for President at the 2016 Republican National Convention in ClevelandPhotograph by Anadolu Agency—Getty Images

Donald Trump in a new interview defended the speech he gave at the Republican National Convention as “very optimistic” amid criticism that the GOP presidential nominee’s message was too “dark.”

Trump told NBC’s Chuck Todd in an interview that aired Sunday on Meet The Press that his speech Thursday night—which painted a picture of an America plagued by crime, murders and “lurking” terrorists—was optimistic because “we’re going to stop the problems.”

“To me, it was an optimistic speech,” Trump said. “I think the only negativity, and, you know, the hate, I call them the haters, and that’s fine. But the only negative reviews were, ‘A little dark.’ And the following day, they had another attack, and then today you see what happened in Afghanistan with many, many people killed.”

The real estate mogul’s speech on Friday drew remarks from President Barack Obama, who cautioned against Trump’s assessment of the nation and said the fears conveyed by speakers at the Republican National Convention “just don’t jibe with the facts.”

“Our convention occurs at a moment of crisis for our nation,” Trump said in his speech in Cleveland. “The attacks on our police, and the terrorism in our cities, threaten our very way of life. Any politician who does not grasp this danger is not fit to lead our country.”